The MLB season, and games for at least rotisserie leagues hit the halfway point over the coming weekend, and that begs my question: Do you really know where your team stands?

I don’t mean first place--or fourth place specifically--although it’s always nice to be competing for the title or a spot “in the money.” I mean where are your players in each category? Are they accumulating the counting stats at an average rate for your league, or have some early adjustments put your squad firmly on track to gain points in any/some of the categories?

It not good enough to say a team is 12 home runs behind the team above in the standings. That team be pulling away/gaining at a good pace over the last few weeks. So, knowing the breakdowns in the counting categories is very helpful in not only setting your lineup on a weekly basis but also in evaluating if/when you should make a trade to shore up a particular deficiency.

Some weeks ago I noted that I only had a handful or points in the stolen base column in the Tout Mixed Draft League that I am in this year. I wasn’t concerned at that time about the slow start because my team had Jose Altuve at 2B, Jean Segura at SS, and both Austin Jackson and Bryce Harper in the outfield. Together with at least a large handful each from Paul Goldschmidt, Todd Frazier, and Kyle Seager I thought I would be fine in that column and rejected a trade offer for speed.

After steadily gaining on the teams in front of me--capped by a twelve bag week thanks to Segura and to having Jackson back from the DL--I am now in 5th place in the category with 71, just three swipes below three teams ahead of my team. And though I will never overtake Greg Ambrosius (Stats/NFBC), who has 95 after last week, (well unless he sells off Jacoby Ellsbury or Ben Revere in a trade) I am just fine with fourteen points in the category.

To the point, for players you may have drafted, it is pretty much time to look at a more realistic projection of what they will contribute to your team this year. Keeping it simple, you could either multiply the counting stats by two, or you could add what they have at the end of this week with what Todd projects for the balance of the year. With players acquired by trade or as free agents, look at their rates of production and see whether that has been steady or like your other players whether there has been an increase/decline because of playing time increases/decreases.

This may be some extra work to be sure but you will find it will certainly pay off in the next month or two as you get your team ready for the home stretch.

Remember that as Oakland General Manager Billy Beane has said the season is really three separate periods:

April and May – to see how the players fit together and whether roster changes will help the team

June and July – to implement any roster changes – perhaps a trade or bringing up players from the minor leagues to get the team to function better;

And finally August and September to have the revised roster set and ready to play its way to the division lead (or get into the money in the case of our rotisserie leagues).

Yes plenty of time to correct many teams but not enough to waste time if there are changes you need to make to your team.{jcomments on}